Portable high-resolution audio player maker Astell&Kern has announced new firmware updates that this month add MQA support for the A&ultima SP1000M, A&futura SE100 and A&norma SR15. MQA support was added to the A&ultima SP1000 in November. MQA’s technology captures and reproduces the sound of the original studio master in a file that’s small enough to stream and download easily. With the Tidal Masters integration, users can … [Read more...]
The Short, Unhappy Life Of Music Downloads
The latest revenue figures from the music industry tell us that we've entered a new era: the era of interactive streaming. Interactive streaming music services — Spotify, Apple Music, Napster, Deezer, Tidal, etc. — now account for the majority of recorded music industry revenue and are growing at better than 50% per year. We're now in the fifth era of recorded music, after the eras of vinyl, tape (8-tracks and cassettes), CDs and … [Read more...]
HIFIMAN Intros New Planar Headphones Designed With Smartphones In Mind
HIFIMAN today announced availability of Ananda, the company's new open-back planar headphone designed to maximize performance of any personal audio source, especially smartphones and tablets. "Ananda is designed for music lovers who want one high-performance, extraordinarily comfortable headphone for all personal listening, whether it's a home system, high-resolution portable player, or an everyday smartphone," said Dr. Fang Bian, Founder and … [Read more...]
Listening Clubs Entice Audiophiles in London
One Sunday evening in September, the main hall of a community center here was decked out with ribbons, balloons, and a gyrating disco ball that marked a sonic sweet spot — the optimal position for partygoers to enjoy the clean, punchy (and not too loud) sound of five towering speakers arranged strategically around the room, piping a playlist of pop, funk, rock and dance floor gems for all generations. The Lucky Cloud sound system was in town. … [Read more...]
Gear Review: Sony MDR-1000X Noise-Cancelling Headphones
The latest Bluetooth offering from Sony is targeting a very specific market segment best referred to as "premium noise cancellation," and the company seems pretty confident that with the MDR-1000X headphones ($400), it has a hit on its hands. Sony is claiming "industry-leading noise cancellation" with these luxury cans, which use ostensibly the same drivers as last year's highly regarded MDR-1A headset made for listening to hi-res audio, as … [Read more...]